Disable Smilies in This Post. Show Signature: include your profile signature. Only registered users may have signatures.

*If HTML and/or UBB Code are enabled, this means you can use HTML and/or UBB Code in your message.

If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, click here.

T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Russian-language news agencies are reporting that over the weekend, thieves broke into cosmonaut Alexei Leonov's home near Star City and stole a great deal of his artwork and career memorabilia, according to his wife Svetlana.

Different press accounts put the value at $30,000 to $100,000.

Journalist James Oberg reports, "His large home is in the secure area of well-known 'cosmonaut dachas'. A picture of the house will be familiar to some."

Leonov remains in the cardiological clinic of the Burdenko Hospital in Moscow. Last week he underwent a 'coronograph', an imaging angiogram using tracers to characterize his heart's condition. Leonov entered the hospital after learning of the death of his sister.

KSCartist

There is a special place in hell for those who would do this. I hope they are caught and punished to the full extent of the law.

I also hope that when this property is eventually offered for sale it will be reported and the seller prosecuted.

Tim

gliderpilotuk

Disgusting.

paulushumungus

GOOD GRIEF!!! - Talk about kicking a man (hero) when he's down. Absolute complete and utter low life scum. Lets hope that the same is lined up for them when it's their turn to endure bad times in their life.

spacecraft films

A particularly despicable criminal practice.Thieves routinely peruse the obits and funeral announcements (and in Leonov's case, the news, I suppose) for targets.

My son has a friend (10 yo) who lost his father about a year ago. While the family was away at the funeral someone broke into their house and stole everything of value but the furniture. Apparently this is a pretty common practice.

Nasty folk.

Robert Pearlman

If this story has a saving grace, it is now being reported that some of Leonov's memorabilia is still in his possession, having been locked away.

The cosmonaut's state awards, which were locked in a vault, were not stolen.

Robert Pearlman

Further details now suggest that the thieves may have randomly chosen Leonov's house rather than targeting the home of a cosmonaut.

In her own room Svetlana Pavlovna did not find the two sets of earrings (including a gift of her spouse), and five fur coats disappeared from the closet.

The thieves were acting rather strange, said the police. They grabbed, for example, earrings, yet other jewelry which was lying nearby, was not touched. Most likely, they were looking for money. But they did not find any (the owners do not keep it in their home). That's why they grabbed what they came across. By the way, the burglars did not touch even the awards of Alexei Leonov. In total, damage amounted to about one million rubles, but it is still subject to corrections.

In search of money thieves swirled through the entire home. Even in the kitchen they pulled out and strewed about there packets with meat. And then they descended to the basement, which the family uses as a garage. There were unlocked cars - a brand new Mercedes and Land Cruiser Prada. But the otherwise-aimed assailants were not interested.

Detectives inspecting the house found a broken lattice and an abandoned burglar jimmy. Alas, there were no fingerprints on it - the tool, as it turned out, they held with work gloves. Detectives immediately suspected that the theft might involve local builders who two months ago changed heating boilers in the home. But they do not seem to be in on it - Leonov and his wife trusted these people unconditionally.

Now the search for assailants continues. Incidentally, according to detectives, home owners have significantly facilitated the thieves "work". In the mansion there are no alarms, video cameras, while at the entrance to the cottage settlement the police are not on guard.

As it turned out, residents (among them, the first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova) have several times refused break-in protection services. So the bold thieves climbed into the house of Leonov (most likely crossed over the fence) and apparently fled in the woods adjacent to it.

Gold earrings with diamonds and sapphires, with pearls on a circle (10 mm diameter circle.)

ShuttleDiscovery

That's horrible!

Hope they catch them..

machbusterman

It just goes to show that scum exist in all walks of life. This is terrible news for the Leonov family... and at a time when they could do without the added stress.

Hopefully the thieves will be caught and the artifacts recovered safely. This will be widely reported in Russia so hopefully if someone is offered one of Leonov's pieces they will report it to the authorities.

- Derek

Rick Mulheirn

I think it safe to say....if the culprits are caught justice will be far more severe than might be expected from more "enlightened" western states particularly given the iconic status of a national hero.

UK sentencing authorities please take note!

Regards,

Rick

TRS

I am so saddened to hear this. Words fail me...

Craig

heng44

I can't help but wonder how they knew he was in the hospital. Probably because of the press coverage. I also fail to see the news value of publishing a photo of Leonov's home; makes it easier to identify for the sort of scum who do these things...

Ed

Henk Boshuijer

I really hope these criminals will be arrested and get severely punished.